Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

moonbow

/ˈmuːnbəʊ/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.23 in modern English

Syllables: moon-bow
IPA: /ˈmuːnbəʊ/

14

Scrabble Score

7

Letters

2

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A rainbow formed by moonlight diffracted by water droplets in the air, usually fainter than a daytime rainbow and with fewer distinguishable colours.

Example Sentences

"Often rainbows by night or moonbows span the lake."
"Among the rarer optical effects associated with the moon are also moonbows or lunar rainbows."
"When the sun shines over Kentucky's Cumberland Falls, the mist creates a rainbow on most days. If the moon shines brightly enough, it can create a moonbow, too!"

Etymology

From moon + bow, by analogy with rainbow.

Inflected Forms

moonbows (plural)

Synonyms

lunar rainbow white rainbow

Questions

How do you pronounce moonbow?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈmuːnbəʊ/.
What does moonbow mean?: A rainbow formed by moonlight diffracted by water droplets in the air, usually fainter than a daytime rainbow and with fewer distinguishable colours.
Where does moonbow come from?: From moon + bow, by analogy with rainbow.

How to pronounce moonbow

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “moonbow”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈmuːnbəʊ/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “moonbow”.
Repeat and practice — Say “moonbow” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.